Photo: Stefan Baldauf
As the fires of the Dieselgate scandal spread, the Volkswagen damage control model has been kicked into high gear. In an interview with German magazine FAZ, the newly appointed CEO Matthias Muller singled out the Bugatti brand when explaining that every brand and model will be examined.
The same CEO spoke in front of tens of thousands of Volkswagen employees two days ago, announcing that nonessential models will be canceled or delayed to free up more cash. So it seems only natural that a 1,500 horsepower hypercar costing billions to develop would be affected.
We believe that the rich people who can afford the Chyron could easily pay another million or so per unit that would be needed to make the project profitable. This hypercar project has already suffered several delays, caused by the economic hardships and development problems.
On the other hand, Muller proved a stern defender of the Volkswagen Phaeton, saying that a sedan bigger than the Passat is necessary for the VW brand in Asia.
From what we've heard, development is in the advanced stages, but the market case cannot be built because it's too expensive.
According to Car & Driver magazine, Volkswagen will also cut subsidies for the VfL Wolfsburg football club. It's a natural move, but one that will surely disappoint the fans.
It also sounds like Volkswagen won't be able to sell another diesel engine in American for at least another year. The application for the EPA certificate of the 2016 model year 2.0 TDI has been withdrawn for now. Müller hopes to complete the vehicle fixes by the end of 2016, but the timetable for a US recall has not been announced.
Despite facing criminal charges, the old VW CEO Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn was defended by Muller, who asked: “Do you believe that a board member has the time to delve into engine software?”
Honestly, we do. Winterkorn was a very detail-oriented person who tried to make Volkswagen into the biggest car company in the world, as well as a major player in the plug-in market. We find it hard to believe that only a small group of engineers is responsible for a software hack installed on the majority of the smaller diesel engines the company made for several years.
We believe that the rich people who can afford the Chyron could easily pay another million or so per unit that would be needed to make the project profitable. This hypercar project has already suffered several delays, caused by the economic hardships and development problems.
On the other hand, Muller proved a stern defender of the Volkswagen Phaeton, saying that a sedan bigger than the Passat is necessary for the VW brand in Asia.
From what we've heard, development is in the advanced stages, but the market case cannot be built because it's too expensive.
According to Car & Driver magazine, Volkswagen will also cut subsidies for the VfL Wolfsburg football club. It's a natural move, but one that will surely disappoint the fans.
It also sounds like Volkswagen won't be able to sell another diesel engine in American for at least another year. The application for the EPA certificate of the 2016 model year 2.0 TDI has been withdrawn for now. Müller hopes to complete the vehicle fixes by the end of 2016, but the timetable for a US recall has not been announced.
Despite facing criminal charges, the old VW CEO Prof. Dr. Martin Winterkorn was defended by Muller, who asked: “Do you believe that a board member has the time to delve into engine software?”
Honestly, we do. Winterkorn was a very detail-oriented person who tried to make Volkswagen into the biggest car company in the world, as well as a major player in the plug-in market. We find it hard to believe that only a small group of engineers is responsible for a software hack installed on the majority of the smaller diesel engines the company made for several years.
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